Multiplayer gaming has become very popular over the last 8 to 10 years, particularly since the introduction of the Microsoft® Xbox® and Xbox 360® game consoles, the Sony® Playstation 3® game console, and the Nintendo® WII® game console. By some accounts, the Xbox Live® gaming service associated with the Xbox® line of gaming consoles has over 20 million members worldwide. These members have a paid account with the Xbox Live® gaming service and select a gamer tag (and/or email address) and password that allows them to access features of the Xbox Live® gaming community by logging into the gaming service. The gaming service can be accessed using a computer (using an email address and password to log on) or via a game console.
The Xbox Live members can participate in a variety of activities using the Xbox Live® web service. For example, there is a currently a game marketplace for shopping for games, a video marketplace for streaming or downloading video content, and an avatar marketplace for shopping for avatar apparel that are accessible thru Xbox Live®. Content (e.g., games, game demos, videos, avatar apparel) can be purchased using Microsoft® Points, which are in turn purchased using a credit card. The content is then placed in a queue and can be downloaded to or accessed by a gaming console (associated with the member and his/her account) when the gaming console is next powered on by the member. Xbox Live® also has a simple web accessible community calendar where community game dates are posted, such as playing against a celebrity or Ladies Night. Interested gamers join the game by sending an invite or friend request to a gamer associated with the game night and logging into Xbox Live® via their game console to participate in the actual game.
The Xbox Live® gaming service is also accessible via a game console. Many of the features available thru web access of the gaming service are also available thru the game console access of the game service. In addition, a member can participate in multiplayer games and messaging activities with other members via the game console and Xbox Live® gaming service. A member can create a list of friends (other Xbox Live® members with whom a member likes to game) by sending and accepting friend requests with other members. When logged into the Xbox Live® gaming service, a member can see which friends are on-line, which game or other activity they are then engaged in, the gamer profiles of the friends, which games they've played, and more. Members can also send text and audio messages in real time to other members when logged into Xbox Live®. A member (or a party leader) can also start a party in Xbox Live® by inviting their friends or other members to join the party. A party is a way to talk to a group of friends at once, even if they're all playing different games. A member can join a party by accepting a party invite sent by a party leader. Also, the party (i.e., entire group of people invited to the party) can join a multiplayer game as group rather than inviting each member individually to the game. Members can exit parties voluntarily and parties are disbanded when all the members have signed out of Xbox Live, voluntarily left the party, or the game console is powered off. Alternatively, a multiplayer game can be established by one member sending a game invite to each member on a friends list that he or she desires to join the multiplayer game.
Clans and clan leaders are known in multiplayer gaming. A clan is a group of individuals who game together, similar to a party, but who may share a common gaming interest, such as a particular game or types of games. Some companies provide dedicated game servers for groups of gamers and their games. Some clans may be organized in web forums apart from the Xbox Live® game service and the multiplayer game. These forums can allow gamers to connect and form clans and exchange messages and post calendars so that members of the clan know when to log into a game service to participate in clan games, when clan games will be hosted, etc. At least one game, Halo® 3, has a clan feature built into the game that allows establishment of a semi-permanent clan on the Xbox Live® gaming service associated with that game. A member can create a clan in Halo® 3 by establishing a clan name (via an on-line keyboard), inviting members from a friends or players list by selecting their gamer tag, and sending a clan invite. Members can be added to the clan, messages sent to the clan, and members can leave the clan. Clan members are categorized into roles (e.g., Peon, Member, Staff, and Overlord), each of which have different rights within the clan. The Overlord, who has the most rights, can play in clan matches, recruit new members, broadcast clan messages, remove a clan member, and/or change the roles of the members.
While the party, multiplayer, and clan functions in the Xbox Live® and the web forums have improved the multiplayer gaming experience for millions of on-line gamers, there remains a need to further improve these functions and create new functions thereby enhancing the multiplayer gaming experience. Embedding a clan architecture in the gaming service in a way that allows its access to a wide variety of different multiplayer games from a variety of game publishers vie a game console would enhance the multiplayer experience. It would also be desirable to have a clan architecture embedded in a game service that permitted improved services between the clan members such as advanced messaging, calendaring, game selection, and game initiation for a gaming date as well as the ability for the clan leader to initiate a variety of actions on behalf of each member of clan within the game service. These features would be particularly useful for the casual gamers, who may have limited time and/or experience when it comes to multiplayer gaming. It would further be desirable to track clan data that could facilitate more pleasurable inter-clan gaming by matching gaming clans that are compatible (e.g., skill level, competitiveness, etc.), wherein the clan data may be tracked for specific games or generically irrespective of the game. In addition, it would also be desirable to provide improved options for providing unique game features and game prizes specific to clan gaming as well as providing a marketplace for clan related purchase, sale, and swapping of this clan specific (or other) content between clans. Still further, it would be desirable to provide improved connectivity between gamers logged into a game service and gamers who are not. It is believed that providing one or more of these features in an integrated architecture embedded in a gaming service that hosts multiplayer games across multiple gaming platforms (from a variety of publishers/developers) and gaming devices would further enhance the multiplayer gaming experience.